Lived Experience Leadership | ISBDLearn how ISBD’s Lived Experience Council brings valuable perspectives to research, education, and care for bipolar disorder.
Short bio Minami Kinouchi is a clinical psychologist and social worker based in Japan, with lived experience of bipolar disorder. She is affiliated with Nagoya University and is a former PhD candidate in psychiatry. She also serves as Vice Director of Bipolar Psychoeducation & Peer Support Online (BPPSO), where she develops and delivers online psychoeducation programs for people with bipolar disorder and their families. Through her work, she aims to bridge lived experience, peer support, and mental health research.
What inspires you to be an advocate? Her lived experience has shown her that medication alone is often not enough for managing bipolar disorder. She believes that while clinicians can provide guidance, it is ultimately individuals themselves who put strategies into practice in their daily lives. This is something only people with lived experience can truly understand and carry out. She is motivated by the idea that there are many things individuals can do—such as maintaining daily rhythms and managing stimulation—to support their own stability. Through group psychoeducation, she values creating spaces where people can reflect on their own patterns, understand what supports their well-being, and learn how to prevent future relapse.
What’s one goal you have for the LEC To amplify the voices of people with bipolar disorder in Japan and Asia, and to contribute to developing accessible, evidence-based psychoeducation and support on a global scale. She also hopes to advance research that connects people with lived experience of bipolar disorder across countries and cultures.
